A/N: Hello peeps...since more than two of you asked about the dinner, and since I got 1 swimmer and 1 TRFW done...I figured, what the heck...hope it's ok for you...I'm a little behind on my usual reponse to reviews and for that I must apologize...I'll try to catch up, really...I really do enjoy reviews(good or bad, you know that) so please don't take my slow response time for anything more than what it is...my recent bout of writing+a lot of heat(110 heat index)+ my own laziness(read it as quirky and endearing character flaw)...thanks to everyone who offered possible alternate titles...most of them were much better than my own and I'm mulling them over...really, I am...hey tw200, thanks...PBB, really, was it necessary to email me those photos?I really don't share your fascination with toes...and you, little one across the pond,sounds like more sleep is needed...i await your reviews...and title suggestions...and any general ole emails. JT

No beta, you betta. Don't own Chuck or anything else that even borders on fame. Not making money on this and the damn Nigerian prince won't take my call about the money he promised me...after I sent him that check...I just don't understand.

Jim, thanks for the nudge.

Bryce Karkin - Douche Bag At Large - Chapter 4

As soon as Sarah stepped back into Casa Bartowski, the heavenly smell of food nearly overwhelmed her, again. Remembering the warning from earlier, she paused and made sure that she wasn't tracking any dirt into Ellie Bartowski's home. She toyed with the idea of just kicking her shoes off and when she looked up, she found Chuck smiling at her.

"Feel free. I promise not to say anything if you take your footwear off…unless you're wearing really ugly socks and if that happens to be the case, and then all bets are off." Chuck said with a smile and knowing look.

"How did you know I was thinking about…does that thing…" she said as she pointed towards his head, "…allow you to read minds?"

"Of course it does, Agent Walker. How else would I know you were staring at my ass when I was trying to find you a beer?" he answered with a straight face.

"You know about me staring at your ass?" she asked, seemingly more concerned with her 'ass staring' than the whole 'read minds' thing. She felt the blush starting to rise and then noticed that Chuck seemed to be choking. No, she corrected herself, he wasn't choking, he was struggling to hide the fact that he was laughing at her. "Would you mind sharing with me just what you find so amusing?" she said. She heard herself and couldn't decide why she sounded so pissed. Was it because Chuck could read her mind? That wouldn't explain his laughter. Was it because he'd called her 'Agent Walker'? Once again, that wouldn't explain the laughter. Was it because he knew that she'd been staring at his ass…and she'd just been tricked into admitting it? Yep, that was it. 'Of course he can't read minds' she told herself. She tried her best glare and that just seemed to make Chuck's struggle to hide his laughter even harder. Not knowing what to do, she simply gave in and allowed herself a small smile. "Busted" she admitted, at which point her companion dropped all pretense of control and burst out laughing which stopped almost immediately when his split lip sent him a cease and desist order.

"Ow" he said as he realized that smiling wasn't the best thing to do with a split lip. "I guess I shouldn't smile for the rest of the night." He saw the look of concern and guilt that suddenly appeared on Sarah's face when he raised the damp cloth to his mouth.

"Which way to your bathroom?" Sarah asked as she reached out and grabbed his hand. Following his eyes, she set off down the hallway, dragging him along behind her. Once she'd found her way to the bathroom and after dragging Chuck in behind her, she closed the toilet lid and motioned for him to sit down. After taking the damp rag from his hand and rinsing it under the tap, she wrung it out and gently placed it against the injured lip while she used her other hand to open the medicine cabinet. After a few moments inspection, she pulled out a small tube of some type of 'lip therapy' product. "Hold the rag , please" she said and after he'd taken over the rag control, she un-capped the tube and squeezed a very small amount out onto her finger tip. "Drop it" she instructed and once it was out of her way, she proceeded to, very gently, apply the 'lip therapy' to the split lip.

Chuck was at a complete loss for words. He was staring into the most dazzling pair of blue eyes he'd ever seen and the woman who belonged to those eyes was, at that very moment, gently rubbing her finger on his lip. Her touch seemed feather-light and left behind it a fiery trail that seemed to erase all other feelings. He knew his lip should hurt but the pain seemed to vanish in the wake of Sarah Walker's fingertip. Far too soon, as far as he was concerned, Sarah withdrew her hand, stepping back and returning the small tube to it's place in the medicine cabinet. He didn't know what to feel when she turned and exited the room, disappearing back the way they'd come. He was still sitting in the same spot, with his own fingertip retracing the trail that she hers had followed just moments before when she reappeared with a questioning look on her face.

"Is everything ok, Chuck?"

"What?...oh, yeah. Everything's fine. I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Agent Walker. I promised you dinner and that's what you're going to get" Chuck said as he dropped his finger and got to his feet. "This way" he said as he left the bathroom and took the lead. "Now, if you don't mind, how about giving me a hand in the kitchen, Agent Walker."

Once they'd arrived in the kitchen, Chuck had gone about getting out plates and silverware and sitting them on the counter. Grabbing the mitts, he removed the casserole dish from the oven and gently paled it on top of the stove. Turning back to catch Sarah's eyes on him, he motioned towards the drawer next to her. "Wanna grab a big spoon for me?" Once she'd handed him the requested implement, he nodded towards the refrigerator. "How about you grab us a couple of cold beers and the salad. I'll take care of the hot stuff and meet you at the dinning room table? Don't worry, I'm not using the refrigerator as an excuse to get even with you for staring at my butt" he finished with a smile before turning around and starting to fill the plates that were sitting in front of him.

'You can if you want' she almost said. She opened the door and was glad for the blast of cool air that struck her in the face because, the thought of what Chuck had just joked about doing had suddenly gotten her a little hot. She grabbed the salad and then reached for the beers that she'd seen on one of the lower shelves, making sure that she bent over at just the right angle, just in case Chuck actually did decide to notice her ass. Giving it just a few extra moments, she straightened back up and turned around, actually feeling a little disappointed that she hadn't caught him looking. She left the kitchen and found her way to the dining room where she placed the salad bowl in the middle of the small table. Choosing the chair with the most commanding view of the front door, Sarah was about to sit down when Chuck appeared with two plates balanced on one arm and a hand full of silverware. After giving him a hand, they sat down and began their meal.

Chuck deliberately kept the conversation light and Sarah decided that she shouldn't push things, even though there were a lot of things that she needed to know. Glancing down at her watch, she realized that an hour had passed and she couldn't remember what they'd actually talked about, just that she felt more relaxed than she had in years. She couldn't put her finger on it but there was something about Chuck Bartowski that just seemed to put her at ease. Chuck had excused himself and then returned with two Klondike bars and after Sarah had taken the one offered her, he sat back down.

"So, Agent Walker…"

"Please, Chuck, call me Sarah" she'd responded with a smile.

"Ok, Sarah. I guess you have a question or two, and I did promise you some answers if you joined me for dinner, so, ask away."

Sarah sat silently for a few moments, trying to decide which question was the most important. "How did you know I had been staring at your ass?"

Chuck was sure that he could've been knocked over with a feather at that particular moment. "What? That's the question that you decide to lead with? Not, 'did you upload the intersect?' or 'why didn't the upload kill you like all the others?' or even, 'do you know where Bryce Larkin is?'…you want to know how I knew you'd been checking out my butt?"

Sarah couldn't help the blush that she felt creeping up her neck. She suddenly realized that she'd blushed more tonight than she had in years and the cause of that was sitting across the table from her. Sure, all of the questions that he'd rattled of where valid and important but they weren't the first thing she wanted an answer to. In fact, if she was honest with herself, she'd gone with her second question. When Chuck had given her permission to ask questions, she noticed that he was still wearing that silly apron and she wanted to ask if he really would faint if kissed. Actually, she hadn't so much wanted to ask if he'd faint as she'd wanted to just kiss him to see if he'd faint. Lacking the courage to get up and walk around the table and through herself into his lap, she'd gone with her second question. "Um…yes?"

Chuck shook his head and tried not to laugh. "The freezer door. It's very shiny and I saw you. At first I wasn't sure but you really took your time. Next?"

Sarah smiled at the answer. "Alright, now that I've got the 'important' stuff out of the way" she said and smiled when she saw Chuck do the same. "Since you brought them up, let's go with…did you upload the intersect? Why aren't you dead? And last and, as far as I'm concerned, least…do you know where Bryce Larkin is?"

"Ah, that's more like it" Chuck said as he finished off the last of his Klondike bar. "Yes, I uploaded the Intersect, although to be honest, if I'd known then what I know now, I may have decided against it. The reason that it didn't kill me is because my dad designed…"

"What, wait a minute. Your dad designed the intersect? I don't understand…"

"Yeah, it seems that my dad was the main designer behind the Intersect. He originally hoped that his program would be a help to mankind and maybe, if the government hadn't co-opted his research, it might have. He made the mistake of working with some other scientists who only wanted to use the Intersect as a weapon…of sorts. When he realized what they were hoping to do, he walked away. Of course, the government doesn't 'allow' people to walk away from things that are deemed of such vital importance to the 'greater good' so my father had to disappear. He took what he could and vanished. Unfortunately, that didn't include his children."

Sarah suddenly realized what Chuck was saying. The people she worked for were indirectly responsible for his dad abandoning his sister and him. She looked into his eyes but just didn't know what she could say.

"As for the reason it didn't kill me like all of those 'volunteers', and just so you know, out of the hundreds who got the upload, less than a dozen, who actually knew the risks, volunteered…well, the reason it didn't kill me is because of my 'image retention rate'. My dad was the first to realize that the intersect would require people with an amazingly high image retention rate. The government used his research and devised a test that would point them towards people who might be able to handle the intersect. Lucky me, I tested higher than anyone else. It seems that a college professor of mine was also recruiting for the CIA."

"Chuck, I don't understand. If you tested so high, why didn't The CIA recruit you?"

"Because someone falsified my test data. They made it look like I was close to what was needed but not close enough. They also falsified their own test scores, hoping to be chosen for the upload. Wanna guess who the douche bag was ?"

"Bryce?"

Yeah, Bryce Larkin. After changing around our scores, he thought he was set until his bosses demanded a second test and he didn't score as well as his first test seemed to indicate. A third test left the powers that be with the impression that the first test had been a fluke and nothing more was done. They turned Bryce down, told him he'd make a great field agent but that was it. He seemed to take it well, went back to school to finish and when he got back to Stanford …'

"I know. That's when he…"

"Yeah."

"Well at least he kept you out of the CIA."

"Oh goodie. He also framed me for cheating, got me kicked out of Stanford and then fucked the woman I was going to propose to so forgive me if I fail to see the 'glass half full' side of this. So, in the form of a round-about answer, I don't know where Bryce is and I'm actually sorta glad about that. Sorry if I can't help you find your ex, Agent Walker. I guess you'll just have to keep looking without my help."

Pushing himself back from the table, he stood and turned to go out to the kitchen, the dirty dishes in his hands, leaving a stunned Sarah Walker seated at the table.

While Chuck busied himself in the kitchen, Agent Sarah Walker sat at the table, wondering what her superiors would have her do next. She pulled her phone from her pocket and was about to make a phone call to Director Langstom Graham. While she thought about her next move, she heard Chuck returning from the kitchen. She had one last question for Chuck Bartowski and she really hoped he had the right answer.

"So, Agent Walker, what's next for you. Anyone else to talk to for help in finding your boy, Bryce?"

Agent Sarah Walker decided that now was the perfect time for her question.. She picked up the knife that was sitting on the table in front of her and before she could stop herself, she threw it at Charles Irving Bartowski. She regretted her decision the same second she made it and watched, helplessly, as the knife tumbled end over end towards Chuck's face and then suddenly, it was gone. She couldn't understand what had happened and when Chuck slowly raised his right hand and she saw the knife caught between the index and middle fingers, she couldn't believe her eyes but she had her answer. Looking from his hand back to his face, she was even more shocked by the look in his eyes. Pissed off, that she would have understood and expected. Confused and angry, yeah, that look would have worked as well but all she saw in his eyes was a look of disappointment and hurt…and that made no sense at all. Looking down at the phone in her hand, she tried to remember who she had been planning to call. When she looked back up. Chuck dropped the knife from between his fingers and after pulling out his own phone, he closed his eyes briefly before dialing a number and then putting his phone to his ear.

"Good evening , Director graham. This is Chuck Bartowski…no, I don't imagine you know who I am…well, we'll get to how I got your unlisted residential number in just a minute…You see, sir, I'm standing here with Agent Sarah Walker who just attempted to kill me by throwing a knife through my forehead…yes, you'd think so, but no…well, it seems that I might be just a little faster than her…no, of course I didn't injure her, what a horrible thing to think…no sir, I don't know why she attacked me this time…well, the first time was my fault and all she did was knock me out…no, the real reason for the call was to tell you that I have no idea where Bryce Larkin is…well, to be honest, I'm feeling a little tired so I will have Agent Walker call you…should I give her this number?...no?...ok…no, I really must insist that our conversation is over for tonight…yes it is, now, if I have the time, I'll call you tomorrow…don't worry, I have all of your numbers…oh, don't worry sir, I'm sure we will talk again…that's right…good night to you, sir." Chuck pulled the phone from his ear and hit the disconnect icon and then looked up to find Agent Sarah Walker staring at him, her mouth wide open in shock.

"What did you just do, Chuck?"

"What! Are you kidding me? You threw a knife at my face and you ask me why I called your boss?"

"I knew you'd catch it"

"You did?"

"Well, I was pretty sure…and you pissed me off with that crack. He's not my 'boy' Bryce"

Chuck closed his eyes briefly and Sarah suddenly had the feeling that she wouldn't like whatever Chuck was about to say. "Agent Walker, up until about three years ago, whenever you weren't, you know, for the greater good , you and Bryce seemed to 'practice' a lot. Your bosses knew about it and they've got reports and" Chuck paused and closed his eyes again, briefly, before opening them with a blush starting up his neck, "photos and videos, so excuse me for referring to him as your 'boy'…maybe I should have referred to him as your…" and Chuck suddenly shut up. He'd seen the same look on Sarah's face that his sister had caused earlier and he realized that he really didn't want to inflict that hurt again. He saw the tear start down her cheek and with four, quick steps, he pulled Agent Sarah Walker into a hug. He had considered the odds that she'd knock him out again but decided to risk it, and he was glad that he did. As soon as his arms were around her, Sarah seemed to loose all of her strength and he found himself holding her upright while she sobbed onto his chest. 'What the hell' he asked himself, 'is super spy Sarah Walker doing crying in my arms? And what do I do now?'

Chuck had lost track of time and he looked up when he heard the front door opening. He watched as Ellie stepped in and then turned to close the door behind her. Turning back around she realized that Chuck was standing near the kitchen table with Agent Sarah Walker in his arms. She stepped closer and realized that the woman's shoulders were shaking slightly and when she made eye contact with her brother and saw the confusion in his eyes, she knew that the woman definitely wasn't shaking with silent laughter. Sarah chose that moment to become aware of her surroundings and her head lifted from Chuck's chest. Ellie immediately regretted the things she'd said earlier when she saw the despair in the other woman's eyes. Walking over, she peel her away from Chuck and hauled her towards the bathroom. Looking back over her shoulder, she shared a brief look with her brother that told him that she'd take over for a few minutes and that he should make some tea for them, that she'd call when they were ready. He waited until the bathroom door closed and then he went to the kitchen to make some tea.

A/N: 22( A/N:'s 2 through 21 for those with ESP...you know who you are) Please review.